Chibuzo Agbo hit seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points, Desmond Claude added 25 points and 11 assists, and Southern California improved its Big Ten tournament chances with a 92-61 victory over Washington on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Rashaun Agee added 18 points for the Trojans (15-15, 7-12 Big Ten), who snapped a five-game losing streak and moved into a five-way tie for 11th place in the conference standings. The top 15 teams qualify for the Big Ten tourney next week in Indianapolis.
Mekhi Mason scored 19 points and Great Osobor had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the last-place Huskies (13-17, 4-15), who have already been eliminated from the postseason. DJ Davis added 13 points.
Washington lost its fifth in a row overall and 11th straight against the Trojans.
Agee scored 13 points as USC took a 47-35 halftime lead. The Trojans shot 58.1 percent (18 of 31) from the field, including 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
Davis’ 3-pointer gave the Huskies an early 5-2 lead, their largest of the game.
Washington led 12-11 on a dunk by Osobor before the Trojans went on a 13-1 run to take the lead for good. Claude sparked the spurt with a 3-pointer, and then Agee took over. He had two layups and connected from beyond the arc. Agbo also made a trey.
USC built a 45-27 lead with 1:21 left in the half before the Huskies closed with an 8-2 run, including a banked 3-pointer by Osobor while being fouled with 0.2 seconds left. The ensuing free throw rimmed out.
The Huskies pulled within eight with 15:39 remaining before Claude helped USC gradually pull away.
Tyler Harris, the Huskies’ second-leading scorer with 11.9 points per game, didn’t play because of an ankle injury.
–Field Level Media
